The Embarkation for Cythera

This painting is also known as Voyage to Cythera and Pilgrimage on the Isle of Cythera. The painting portrays a "fête galante”, an amorous celebration or party enjoyed by the aristocracy of France during the Régence, after the death of Louis XIV, which is generally seen as a period of dissipation and pleasure, and peace, after the sombre last years of the previous reign. The work celebrates love, with many cupids flying around the couples and pushing them closer together, as well as the statue of Venus. In the ancient world, Cythera, one of the Greek islands, was thought to be the birthplace of Venus.